A/N: Hey, finally a new chapter! Thanks for the reviews and PMs as always, great to hear from you and glad new readers are liking the story. Special thanks to reviewers who have mentioned their experiences of assault (counselling, victim or friend / partner experiences) and said I'm doing a good job to keep it real. That means a lot to hear that and it's important to me that I don't gloss over it with too much fluff. Thanks for sharing your journeys. Hope you like this one too. Have a great day :-)

Piper hadn't slept well on Thursday night after watching Alex drive away. It was an unexpected feeling of dread in the pit of her stomach as she watched the back of her shiny black car round the corner and disappear from sight and it wouldn't leave her as she lay in bed that night. It was stupid really because Piper knew that whenever Alex used to leave her on business for Kubra that it would have been a justified feeling of dread back then. But she never remembered it feeling like this back then and now it was all above board and with good business people that she was meeting. Why the feeling of dread that she couldn't shake? She was frustrated with herself and relieved when it got closer to 6am and she could justify getting up and ready for a run with Pete.

Even after a couple of days, she was starting to feel better from the exercise. Her ribs were a little sore when she pushed things a bit, but Piper figured that wasn't a bad thing and her lungs were relishing being more fully utilised as she breathed heavily on their final lap. Pete could sense that Piper was going a bit faster than their last couple of outings and he stepped up a gear to pull in front of her to push her a little more as they got through the first third of the circuit.

"You think you're ready for this newbie?" Pete grinned as Piper caught him.

"Newbie?! We'll see who is green in a couple of weeks when my ribs stop complaining."

"So, you still want me to go easy on you for a couple of weeks then hey? Already getting your excuses in before I cross the line in front of you. I get it…." He stepped up the pace again to pull in front slightly.

"Not at all. I'm saying, I'm holding back on YOU while I recover. Then you'll be watching my ass as I'm in front all the way."

Pete laughed and sprinted to the finish tree at full throttle, leaving Piper struggling to find a higher gear in his wake. They doubled over to catch breath for a minute before walking out the cool down and stretching.

"How are you liking the gym then?"

"It's good. It's years since I've been in one. I don't really like the aerobic exercise in a sweaty box, but the weights machines and someone to push you in a programme is nice I think."

"Great. Don't do too much though hey? You still need to give your body a chance to recover remember."

"Yes boss."

XXXXX

Piper was home, showered and changed by 9am and made some breakfast before heading over to see Julie at her 10am appointment.

"So, Piper…..you were in court earlier this week right?"

"Yeah. He entered a not guilty plea." Piper sighed as she thought about how absurd it still felt.

"That surprised you?"

"Everyone keeps saying there's too much evidence against him, but if that were true, surely his Lawyer would have advised him to plead guilty and get a lighter sentence? Why take the risk by lying?"

"They will have a game plan I'm sure. How've you been since that then?"

"Not great. I really don't want to go through the whole court thing again. I didn't handle it well the first time and that ended up with pretty much the worst possible outcome for me." Piper blew over the top of her hot coffee. "I can't help but worry that the same will happen next time."

"Only you're not on trial here, remember that won't you?"

"That's what Alex said."

"Well, she's right."

"That's normally the case with her, yes." Piper said the words without deliberate sarcasm or bitterness, but her features tightened as she spoke.

Julie chuckled. "You'd prefer her to be wrong?"

"Is it weird if I say yes?"

"No, I don't suppose it is." Julie smiled. "How are things with Alex?"

Piper blew out a long sigh from puffed out cheeks. "Complicated."

"Ah. That's a word you use a lot to describe your relationship I seem to remember."

"I sort of tried to break up with her and she wouldn't hear it. Then she broke up with me in a letter a few days later….and I wouldn't hear it – read it. Whatever."

"That does sound complicated! You say she broke up with you in a letter?"

"Yeah, after she came to see one of your colleagues for some advice."

"She came here?"

"To get some counselling for how to help me. They didn't tell her to write a letter. I think it was her way of telling me how she felt without me interrupting and having a strop."

"Communication is important for any relationship, but especially a sort of new one in the circumstances you are in."

"Circumstances? Like with the trial?"

"Yes, that and you dealing with a prior sexual assault that you hadn't discussed until recently. There's a lot for you both to take on board and it will also be difficult for Alex to know what to do to help you."

"She doesn't need to do anything. That's what I have these meetings for. I don't want her to become an expert in…..assault."

"Is that why you wanted to break up?"

"No…..Not really. There's just….a lot happening at the moment…..With the trial, the counselling, seeing my Lawyer, trying to keep up my end of running a business…I wasn't being a very good girlfriend I guess."

Julie nodded and Piper saw her pen moving over the page of her notebook while she took a drink of her coffee.

"Did you say Alex didn't accept you trying to break up with her?" Piper nodded. "So, did she agree that you weren't being a good girlfriend, as you put it?"

"No, she didn't say anything like that. It's just how I felt. I was lashing out at her all the time, then apologising for it and I…..I don't know. I guess I was feeling crappy enough about everything without feeling like a crappy girlfriend too." Piper shrugged, sensing now that the reasoning sounded more than a little lame when she said it out loud to an impartial observer.

"But then Alex changed her mind? When she broke up with you?"

"Changed her mind?"

"She decided that you were a crappy girlfriend? Is that what happened?"

"No. The opposite actually." Piper shook her head as she put her empty mug down on the table.

"She said that she had been the crappy girlfriend by not giving me enough space and that's what she said in the letter – that she was going away to give us both some space."

"Oh, wow. OK…..So where do things stand now?"

"In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean. Literally."

"Is that a metaphor?"

"Yes, but she's also flying to Europe this morning, so she will probably be right over the top of it as we speak."

"Ah, OK. Makes sense now." Julie smiled before asking another question. "So you're officially separated now?"

"Yeah, I guess." Julie saw Piper turn to look out of the window and left the silence between them while the blonde mulled her thoughts.

"I thought it was what I wanted…..Not that I gave it a lot of thought to be honest. It was more a reaction to being overwhelmed by everything I suppose. But then….when Alex finished things with me….well, it was a reality check. I realised that I didn't want to be apart from her. We argue, sort of. Mostly she lets me blow off steam and clenches her fists not to react I think, but the thought of her being so far away from me right now makes me a feel a bit sick. I can't bear the thought of losing her."

"Piper….." Julie set her notes aside and leaned forward a little in her chair before speaking again. "Who are you leaning on to support you through this?"

"The trial? Well, my friend Steve is involved in the case, so he'll be around and we'll support each other I guess. My best friend Polly is there too, we talk every day at work. My parents if I get really desperate…why?"

"It's important to have a support network around you that is more than one person. That way you have different sets of ears listening to you and they will have different perspectives to offer. That's good."

Piper sat back in her seat, feeling like she said the right answer in the test and could progress to the next level of the course.

"Do those people know that you're the victim of two separate instances of sexual assault?"

"It's one instance. The other was never reported, so it doesn't exist as far as they are concerned." Piper clenched and unclenched her jaw at the tallying up of the times she had let herself become a victim.

"So they are all aware of the incident connected to the forthcoming trial? Your parents know that you were sexually assaulted?"

"They don't need to know the gory details. They know it was an attempted rape, isn't that enough?!" Piper stood and ran her hands through her hair, needing to gain some personal space all of a sudden.

"I'm not telling you what to tell them Piper. That's entirely up to you. What I'm asking is…..Well, is there anyone who knows the full story about what you're dealing with here that is supporting you outside of our one hour per week sessions?"

Piper sighed heavily and slumped back into her chair. "Alex. Alex knows."

"About everything?"

"Yes, she's the only person I've told. She's the only one I want to tell at the moment. It already feels like details about my life that I didn't ever want shared are up for discussion in a court room now. I might as well create a distribution list!"

"OK….well at least there's someone you can talk to. You're still talking I assume?"

"Yes, she said I could call her while she's away."

"Good, that will help you I think." She made some more notes. "Can I ask why? If you can't stand the thought of losing her, why did you want to break up with Alex?"

"I don't think I did."

"So, you didn't want to break up?" Julie was clearly confused.

"I see that look a lot." Piper sighed.

"Does Alex know you didn't want to break up?"

"Yeah, I mean, I went over there and as good as broke her door down when she sent me that letter. I told her I needed her to be normal with me. I made it pretty obvious….."

"So you said you didn't want to break up?"

Piper looked past Julie as she tried to recall each part of the conversation they had at Alex's apartment, then what they talked about at the restaurant. After a few minutes, her eyes moved to the ceiling and she ran her hand over her face.

"That would be a 'no' to actually telling her that tiny piece of quite important information."

XXXXX

After her appointment with Julie, she went grocery shopping and decided to do a thorough clean of the house while she had the spare time. Her conversations with Alex in the restaurant had been playing on her mind all day and she winced at how she had tried to distance herself from being in prison by telling Alex she could do better with her choice of employees. She might not like Brooke's attitude, but there were far worse attitudes to be found in the people she had met in prison. It had been a shock that Alex would employ people with a criminal record, but Piper now couldn't understand why she had been shocked. Alex was used to working with criminals and ex-criminals when she worked for Kubra and she didn't judge people based on their past. She gave people a fair crack of the whip until they did something that didn't meet her expectations. She didn't have the fancy college degrees and certificates of good grades, but she was one of the smartest and astute people Piper had ever met. She wasn't impressed by scrolls of paper and mortar board photos with the family, choosing friends and colleagues on 'feelings' and first impressions really. Piper was always a bit jealous of her ability to see past all of the façade and pretence in people and get to their root to see what made them tick. It's what made her a good recruiter for Kubra and made the hard work she did seem effortless at times because it was all happening inside her head – decisions being made on her next move, picking people out, reading reactions and manipulating them to think they really wanted to do something that would benefit her.

She really wished she hadn't become so damned paranoid and insular since her time in Litchfield. It had taught her to not trust anyone and even when people appeared to be genuine, they could fuck you over in a heartbeat if it gained them something. She hadn't realised how naïve she was before Litchfield. Blindly trusting a drug importer and following her all over the world, mixing in circles she wasn't accustomed to without question because Alex would look out for her. She'd had all of the adventure without any real appreciation or understanding of the risks at the time. It was only her love for Alex being in constant conflict and competition for Alex's love for her job that pulled her away from it. Not the fact that she could be in danger, because she never felt it. Alex had protected her from feeling that at every turn. Going to prison had been a slap in the face of epic proportions and the reality of what she had done being illegal was suddenly real. Her naivety had shone like a beacon to the inmates of Litchfield when there wasn't Alex around to conceal her and it had been exploited many times during her incarceration. From blackmailing her to hand over personal items such as the books Cal and Polly sent her, to threatening her for commissary items, she had given in to all of it so easily in her first few weeks there. So scared that someone would knock out her fresh, white teeth that she didn't put up much of a fight. When there was nothing left, they moved on to other newbies and she was left to reflect on the lessons learned for the most part.

So determined not to be a victim when she was released, she closed herself down tight to the attention of others and took tight control over interactions with anyone new. She didn't make new friendships easily and used her well versed WASP pretence and smile to nod appreciatively and superficially connect with people for a limited time. She had forgotten that Alex used to look after her, look out for her and treat her so well. Instead, automatically reverting to distrust when things didn't go her way. It really didn't make things any easier when her number one reaction was lashing out, then think later. Much later, like days later sometimes. Having these sessions with Julie was definitely helping as it was making her talk about things she might be uncomfortable with and Julie was so calm and sensible that she always felt better after those meetings.

Dressed in old grey track pants and a polo shirt, she plugged the iPod that Alex left her into some speakers and played her old playlists, singing along as she moved methodically through the house. By 8pm, she had scrubbed the fridge clean, defrosted the freezer with a hairdryer and even knuckled down to clean the oven out so it was sparkling. The cushion covers and throws from the sofa were washed and dried while she dusted everything down and mopped the floors. Feeling thoroughly accomplished, she started running a bath and checked her cell while she waited for the bubbles to rise. There was a text from Polly to say they were going to finish the business plan tomorrow come Hell or high water and one from Alex.

Piper was determined not to become a whiny bitch while Alex was away by texting her all of the time. So when she got a message from the brunette to say she had arrived safely and was heading to her hotel to rest, she sent a simple reply.

'Hey, thanks for letting me know you got there OK. Hope you get time to enjoy London. X'

She responded quickly to Polly as well before settling down for a soak in the bath, minus a glass of wine. She was determined to cut back a bit while Alex was away to prove that she didn't need the crutch.

XXXXX

They worked all day Saturday and Sunday on the final tweaks to the plans and agreed to set up a meeting with John ASAP for some feedback on it. Yet, another thing Alex was right about when she thought about it. She had mentioned it to Polly in passing and her friend thought it was a good idea to find out if they were even including the right sort of information before worrying about what paper to print it on.

Alex sent a text on Sunday afternoon as they were packing up the store.

'Hey, have you got Skype sorted out yet? I was going to call you later if that's OK? X'

"Shit! Do you know how Skype works Pol?" Piper mumbled as she pulled her iPad out of her bag.

"Of course. I'm not an 80 year old pensioner."

Piper raised her eyebrow.

"But I do have a lot of respect for the elderly and I'm always happy to help the old dears out. What do you want help with dear?"

"Well, how do I get it?"

"Jesus. We really are on internet 101 here….It's an app, you can download it for free….here." Polly swiped the screen and found it, clicking the download button.

"Who are you Skyping anyway?"

"Skyping?"

"Yes. Video calling with this app."

"It's video?"

"Yes, or just a call. The whole point is the video though, so you can actually see who you're talking to."

"Oh….Alex. She's in London and wants to call me tonight."

"Why do I feel like I'm equipping you to do something dirty?" Polly frowned as she opened the app up now.

"Polly! We're just talking. We're not even together, so you're barking up the wrong tree."

"This time maybe. Here….you need to create a username now so people can find you." Polly turned the screen back to Piper for her to fill in her details. Piper tapped the screen a few times before handing it back to Polly.

"Piper Chapman. Well, you're original, I'll give you that." She finished the signing up process and then added herself as a contact before passing it back to the blonde.

"Pollyliscious. Really?" Piper rolled her eyes.

"What's Alex's username?"

"No idea."

"Let's search for her then…." Polly typed in Alex's name and shared the screen. Piper grinned and pointed at a Username 'VauseisBoss' next to a picture of bright red lips pouting into a kiss. "That one. Definitely."

"Should have known. Shall I send her a contact request or do you want to check it's her first?"

"Let me text her. I'm pretty certain, but I don't trust the internet. Who knows who might be hiding behind that photo?"

Piper tapped out a quick text.

'Are you VauseisBoss?'

'Depends who is asking. Do you want to be my friend? ;-)'

'I want to be friends with the owner of those lush red lips. If that's you, your luck is in ;-)'

'Mine. All mine. Surprised you had to ask ;-)'

"Can you save the sexting for later? I've got a home to go to." Polly cut in as Piper continued to grin at her screen.

"Sorry. OK, it's her. Can you add her as a contact for me and I'll work the rest out?"

"Done. Don't let this new power of Skype knowledge go to your head will you?"

"Thanks. See you in the morning!" Piper was already scurrying out of the back door to the subway as Polly turned to lock up.

Conscious of the 6 hour time difference, she didn't want to leave it too late to speak to Alex in case she was tired from her trip. Sending her a quick text to say she had Skype and was OK to talk any time tonight, Piper set to making some dinner from the fresh food she picked up. She was washing the dishes when her phone flashed with a reply.

'Hey, Piper Chapman. I've accepted your friend invitation. Want to get to know each other now? ;-)'

Piper dried her hands quickly and moved to sit at the dining table where her iPad was charging. It was already 100% on the battery, but Piper was expecting the video on Skype to drain it quickly. Her heart started to beat faster and she checked her face in the mirror, applying some lip gloss quickly and straightening her hair out a bit before settling in front of the screen and replying to Alex's text.

'You have my attention Ms Vause. I'm ready when you are.' Piper stared at the blank screen, waiting for it to jump into life.

'Apparently I don't. Can you get online? Open up Skype and set your status to online and then I can call you.'

Piper fiddled with the app for a moment and did as Alex said. Seconds later the screen showed an incoming call from VauseisBoss and she clicked to answer.

"Hello?" Piper spoke. "Helloooooo!" Louder when there was no answer from Alex. A text came through.

'Is your sound switched on? Try turning it up '

After a turning the sound from mute, Piper finally heard her.

"Hello?"

"Ah, there you are!" Alex replied, laughing.

"I can't see you. Can you see me?"

"You want to video call?"

"I thought that was the whole point of Skype? Or we could just use our cell phones and do this the old fashioned way." Piper was perplexed by all the hassle for a simple phone call.

"Hang on…..Can you see me now?" Alex moved the screen and settled it at head and shoulder height. Piper could see some lamps lit behind Alex's head and the top of some plush white pillows on her bed.

"Yes! I can see you now. You're in your hotel room right?" Piper moved her head trying to see more.

"Yeah. This is a little one-sided without your camera being switched on. I feel like I'm in a poor quality peep show."

"Oh! You can't see me?" Piper waved at the screen.

"No. You need to click the video icon at the bottom and it will switch your camera on."

Piper clicked it and stared at the screen.

"There she is! Maybe stand up your iPad though Pipes as I can see right up your nose if you keep leaning over it. It's not your most flattering angle, I'll be honest."

Piper flipped her screen cover around to stand it up. "God, this is stressful! I don't know why this app is so popular when it's so complicated to use." She ran her hand through her hair again to straighten it up.

Alex smiled back. "Hi."

"Hi." Piper breathed out. "I like your room."

"Want a tour? I'll show you around, gimme a sec…." The camera moved as she picked up her laptop and took it around the room. "So this is the desk I was just sitting at, very boring. But there's a little kitchen area here with a half decent coffee machine at least, you see that?" Alex moved the camera closer.

"Nice! You've got a fridge too?"

"Yeah. Then there's my bed. It's actually pretty comfy to sleep in….wardrobe full of clothes over here…..bathroom with a deep sided copper bath, cool hey?"

"Wow, that's gorgeous! Why aren't you making the most of that right now?"

"A bit forward for someone who only sent me a friend request a couple of hours ago aren't you?"

"Good point. You should try it out though."

"I definitely will. Maybe tomorrow…..but the best thing….is this view. Can you see that?" Alex tried to move the camera slowly so Piper could see the London skyline lit up at night.

"Oh my God, that's gorgeous Al! Was that London Bridge on the left?"

"Yeah, awesome isn't it?"

"Aw, I love London. I really want to go back one day."

Alex sat on the bed now with the laptop next to her as she took her shoes off and laid back.

"I know. It's such a cool place. Anyway, how's things with you?"

"Good. They're good. We finished the business plan today and we're going to make an appointment to see John ASAP to get his feedback."

"Awesome. That's great Pipes!" Alex sat the laptop on the table next to the pillow so she was comfortable.

"You were right. About getting feedback."

"It was only a suggestion you know."

"I know that now. I need to learn to listen to you more and stop being such an ass. I know."

Alex laughed at the admission. "It might be hard-wired into your DNA."

"Well I'm going to make an effort to unwire it a bit, I promise. I will try and be a little less self-absorbed while I'm at it."

"OK, I look forward to that." Alex smiled. She could see that Piper was being earnest and it wasn't easy to admit she was wrong or that she could be a narcissist of champion proportions at times.

"While I'm on a roll, I'm also sorry for what I said about you employing ex-cons."

"Wow, you really are on a roll."

"Pretending I'm any different because I'm educated and from money was pretty stupid. I was surrounded by people like Tricia and Brooke while I was at Litchfield and I have no idea if all of those girls will find jobs when they get out. Not many employers would take them on and I feel pretty low for saying you shouldn't."

"You've seen it from both sides as well, which gives you a unique perspective I think. I'm glad you thought about it though. I was a bit shocked when you weren't more sympathetic…Are you gonna try a bit harder with Tricia and Brooke?" Alex ventured.

"I don't know what you want me to do?"

"Whatever you think will help them to survive life outside of prison. Whatever you think you can do to help them in the workplace. They're only with you for another week hopefully. I need to check progress on the new partitions with Nicky, but 5 more days Pipes. That's all."

"It's fine. Really, it is. I'll think on it."

"Thank you. I appreciate it." Alex snuggled down into her pillow more.

"What time is it there?"

"Um….just after 2am now."

"Wow, I'd better let you get some sleep. Are you in meetings in the morning?"

"Yeah, Bill and I are doing a presentation in the morning. Not until 11 though, so I've got chance to sleep in a bit. It's in the hotel conference downstairs, so all fine to get there. I'll try and speak later in the week if you want? I think we're going out for dinner with clients a bit this week, so I might be hit and miss. Text me if there's anything urgent though, OK?"

"I will. Be careful Alex."

"Logistics is a dangerous business right?" Alex winked before yawning. "Night Pipes."

"Bye Alex."

XXXXX